Umbrella supporting structure



July 18, 1950 Filed Jan. 5, 1948 A. L. FAASSE UMBRELLA SUPPORTING STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 JNVENTOR. ADfl/AN L FHBJSE T BY wwa

AGE/VT July 18, 1950 A. FAASSE UMBRELLA SUPPORTING STRUCTURE Filed Jan. 5. 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ""l 31 E... G 22 2/ 35 INVENTOR.

AMIAN L. M4635 I LI Illllillll-III Patented July 18, 1950 UMBRELLA SUPPORTING STRUCTURE Adrian Li. Faasse, .Omaha, Nehru, assignor to The Snow Corporation Omaha, Nebn, acorpcrationof Nebraska,

ApplicatiomJanuary 5, 1948, Serial-No. 559- Claims. 1 i v In its broadest aspect, the present invention relates to umbrellas or canopies for use with vehicles and in its more specific aspect has reference to a supporting" structure which is so constructed as to give maximum visibility and minimum interference to the operator of the vehicle upon which the umbrella is supported; While I have shown anddescribed the inventive concept as being employed in conjunction with tractors, pick-up balers, combines and other farm equipment, it is to be distinctly understoodth'at the invention is ofhroader scope and can be employed with eflicacy in connection with other types of vehicles.

Umbrella structures which are currently employed with tractors and the like are not entirely satisfactory, in that the supporting standard has generally been attached to the vehicle at a position which interferes with or hinders the movements of the operator which, of course, is undesirable. This is due largely tothe fact that the canopy or shade is in eifect a continuation, so to speak, of the vertical standard and, asa consequence, the supporting standard must be in close proximity to the seat of the vehicle in order to afford the operator sufiicient protection against rain, snow and sun rays. While certain structures have been employed which utilize a supporting standard having an offset portion to permit the standard to be located on the vehicle at a position which will not interferewith the operator and yet maintain the shade in a position to protect the operator, these structures do possess certain disadvantageous characteristics. In the first place, while the supportin standards have been relatively complex in structural detail with the attendant high cost of manufacture, they have not been sufiioiently sturdy to overcome the sway and wear imposed thereon under operating conditions and, in addition, the structure for raising and. lowering the umbrella head has not been fully satisfactory.

With the present invention, the above and other objectionable features of the prior art are overcome.

In general, my invention includes a vertical standard having an offset portion at the upper end thereof provided with means for receiving the umbrella head and its associated parts for opening and closing the canopy or shade. The offset portion is so arranged with respect to the vertical portion that when the standard is attached to the vehicle at a position which will not interfere with the operator, the canopywill be so disposed with respect to the operator as toafford a maxi-mum of protection against the elements, and excellent vision. The operating head includes as an important part thereof, a separable actuating arm which, when the shade or canopy is in its lowermost position, can be detachably' connected to the offset portion well above the operators head. On the other hand, if the operator desires to stand in the vehicle, the arm may be employed to elevate the open canop to the desired height and thearm and operating head ma he firmly maintained in this latter position by manipulation of an adjusting handle associated with the oiiset portion of the standard and the operating head.

The supporting bows and push rods which are operatively connected with the bows are so connected to the umbrella head as to permit their quick and easy removal for repair or replacement purposes;

An object of the present invention is to provide an umbrella finding particular application for use with tractors and the like, wherein the supporting standard is, so constructed as to position the open: canopy or shade portion, at a location affording maximum protection to the operator of the vehicle andryet be so supported by the vehicle as not to interfere with the operators locomotion.

Another object of. my invention is to provide an umbrella of the character described with novel operating means associated with the opening and closing mechanism of the umbrella, which may be readily moved to a position above the operator's head, when the canopy or shade portion is in its lowermost position with respect to the operator.

And a further object of the present invention is to provide an umbrella construction for use with tractors and similar equipment wherein the opening and closing elements for the canopy portionare so connected to. the umbrella head as will permit the. easy removal of such elements when so desired.

Yet a. further object of my invention is to provide an, umbrella assembly for use with vehicles which is relatively simple in structural detail, positive and." efficient in operation, and capable of being cheaply manufactured.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention consists in the details of construc tion, and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail; reference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this application wherein like characters denote corresponding parts in the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of my novel supporting structure for umbrellas or canopies, the shade portion being shown in section.

Figure 2 is a fragmental view in side elevation and partly in section of the umbrella head showing the relationship of the cooperating parts when the canopy is disposed at its lowermost position with respect to the vehicle.

Figure 3 is a fragmental sectional view showing the relationship of the parts when the canopy is in its lowermost position and illustrating the manner in which the separable operating arm is detachably connected to the offset portion of the supporting standard.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 is a view in side elevation, partly in section, showin the relationship of the parts when the canopy is in its lowered position.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 6-45 of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 7 is a fragmental view, partly in section, showing the manner by which the shade is attached to the bows.

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken along the line 88 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figure 1, I have shown a vertical tubular standard ill which is adapted to be secured at its lower end to a portion of a tractor vehicle frame designated H by means of an adjustable bracket l2 of any suitable design. The standard if) has integrally formed therewith an offset or angularly disposed portion l3 which has welded or otherwise secured to its free extremity a vertical sleeve M having incorporated therewith an adjustment handle 15. An umbrella head designated generally by the numeral i6 includes a tubular member I? which is received by the sleeve M, as clearly indicated in Figure 3. A notcher I8 is fastly secured to the upper end of the tubular member I! by means of a screw 9. The upper end of the notcher I8 is provided with a plurality of diametrically opposed bifurcations 20, and the inner end of a bow or rib 2i is hingedly secured to each bifurcation through the medium of a cotter key 22. The bows 2i support a shade 23 of heavy canvas or other suitable material and each corner of the shade carries a grommet 24 which receives a hook 25 (Fig. 7) associated with the free extremity of each bow 2 I. It is thought clear that by securing the bows 2! to the bifurcations with cotter keys 22 the bows may be readily secured to or detached from the notcher which, of course, is most desirable in the event repair or replacement of these elements is required. Furthermore, the hooks provided on the bows 2! in cooperation with the grommets in the shade 23 enable the shade to be very easily installed or removed from the umbrella head.

As perhaps best shown in Figure 3, a crown 26 is also disposed upon the tubular member I1 and may be locked to the tube in any desired position by operation of a handle 27. The upper end of the crown 26 also is provided with a plurality of diametrically opposed bifurcations 28 and these bifurcations are in vertical alinement with the bifurcations 20 of the notcher l8. A push 4 rod or bow brace 29 is pivotally secured at its inner end to each bifurcation 28 by a cotter key or the like 30, and attention is called to Figure 4. The outer or free extremity of each push rod 29 is pivotally secured to the legs of a U-shaped strap 3| fastly secured to each bow 2| by means of a cotter key 32 as depicted in Figure 8. As was true of the bows 2|, the push rods 29 by virtue of their connections to the bows and the crown 26 may be easily detached in case either repair or replacement of the push rod is required.

Manifestly, upward movement of the tubular member I! with respect to the sleeve I l, assuming, of course, that the handle I5 is not in a position locking the tubular member to the sleeve, will cause the crown 26 to slide downwardly, thereby moving the bows 2| in the same direction by virtue of the connection between the bows and the push rods and hence, close the shade 23. Conversely, downward movement of the tubular member ll will effect an upward movement of the crown 26 and, as the result, open the shade 23.

As hereinabove pointed out, an important feature of the present invention is to provide means whereby raising and lowering of the shade may be readily accomplished. To achieve this end, it will be observed in Figure 3 that a plug 33 is fitted within the lower end of the tubular memher I 1 and securely maintained therein by means of a pin or the like 34. The lower end of the plug is formed with a reduced threaded extension 35 which cooperates with internal threads 36 machined in one end of a tubular arm 31. The arm 3'! is connected to the tubular member H by a length of chain 38 secured at one end to the pin 34 and at the opposite end to a pin 39 carried by the tubular arm 31 adjacent the threads 3t. When the tubular arm 31 is unthreaded from the extension 35 and the canopy or shade Z3 is in the position illustrated in Figure 3, the free end of the arm is maintained in a substantially horizontal position by a clip 40, the free ends of which are anchored in apertures formed in the ofifset portion l3 of the standard Ill.

The operation of the umbrella is as follows:

Assuming that the shade 23 is in its closed position (Figure 5) and the operating handles l5 and. 27 are in a position enabling the tubular member I! to move freely with respect to the sleeve I4 and the crown 26, and the tubular member 31 is threaded on the extension 35, providing in effect an extension of the tubular member 11, the arm 31 is then moved downwardly until the lower end of the crown 2B abuts the upper end of the sleeve [4, at which position the shade 23 will be opened through the push rods 29 and the bows 2|. The shade 23 is now in what is termed the lowermost position or that position at which the operator of the tractor is seated beneath the umbrella. The tubular arm 3'! is then detached from the tubular member I? and by disposing the free end of this arm within the clip 48, the arm will be held a substantial distance above the head of the operator. Clearly, the operator has substantially unobstructed vision and, since the shade is disposed immediately above, the operator has maximum protection from the elements.

With the shade 23 in its open position, its height with respect to the operator may be readily adjusted. For example, if the driver desires to operate the vehicle in a standing position, the tubular arm 31 is kept connected to the tubular member I! and by moving the arm 31 upwardly and the member I! and arm 30 slid upwardly through sleeve M, the shade 23 may be moved to any desired height. When the required height has been attained, the handle I5 is rotated to a position. where it will firmly hold either the tubular member I! or the arm 31 in the desired position relative to the sleeve M. Moreover, by moving the handle 21 to a position where the crown 26 is locked to the tubular member [1, there can be no rotation of the shade 23 relative to the tubular member 11.

From the above description it is thought readily apparent that I have provided an umbrella structure for use with supporting members of the type described which enables the shade to be adjusted to any desired height in a simple manner. More-- over, the operating arm for opening and closing the shade portion of the umbrella is so constructed that the arm may be disposed in a position which will not interfere with the operator of the vehicle when the shade is located in its lowermost position with respect to the vehicle. There are relatively few essential working parts and the assembly may be readily and inexpensively fabricated.

The invention is not to be confined to any strict conformity with the showing in the drawings but may be changed or modified so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an umbrella construction for use with vehicles, a standard adapted to be attached to the vehicle, an offset portion on the standard, a vertical sleeve carried by the offset portion, a support mounted for longitudinal movement in said sleeve, means to secure the support to the sleeve, a shade connected to the upper end of the support so that downward movement of the support opens the shade and upward movement of the support closes the shade, a handle removably connected to the support for moving said support, said handle being adapted to be disposed at right angles to the support when the shade is in its lowermost position, and means carried by said offset portion for maintaining the handle in said last named position.

2. In an umbrella construction for use with vehicles, a standard adapted to be attached to the vehicle, an offset portion on the standard, a sleeve carried by the offset portion, a support mounted for longitudinal movement in said sleeve, means to secure the support to the sleeve, a shade connected to the support so that downward movement of the support opens the shade and upward movement of the support closes the shade, a handle removably secured to said support for moving said support, flexible means operatively connected to the support and handle for suspending the handle from the support when the handle is removed from the support, and means carried by said offset portion for maintaining the handle at right angles to the support when the handle is removed from the support.

3. In an umbrella construction for use with vehicles, a standard adapted to be attached to the vehicle, an offset portion on the standard, a sleeve carried by the free end of the offset portion and being disposed in parallel relationship to the standard, a support mounted for longitudinal movement in said sleeve, means to secure the support to the sleeve, a shade connected to the upper end of the support so that downward movement of the support opens the shade and upward movement of the support closes the shade, a handle removably connected to the support for moving said support, said handle being adapted to be disposed at right angles to the support when the shade is in its lowermost position, and means carried by said offset portion for maintaining the handle in said last named position.

4. In an umbrella construction for use with vehicles, a standard adapted to be attached to the vehicle, an offset portion on the standard, a sleeve carried by the offset portion, a tubular support mounted for longitudinal movement in said sleeve, means to secure the support to the sleeve, a shade connected to the upper end of the tubular support so that downward movement of the support opens the shade and upward movement of the support closes the shade, a threaded portion on the lower end of the tubular support, a handle having a threaded portion adapted to cooperate with the threaded portion on the tubular support whereby the handle may be attached to or detached from the tubular support, flexible means operatively connected to the tubular support and handle for suspending the handle from. the support when the respective threaded portions are disengaged, and means carried by the offset portion for maintaining the handle at right angles to the tubular support when the handle is removed from the support. 7

5. In an umbrella construction for use with vehicles, a standard adapted to be attached to the vehicle, an offset portion on the standard, a sleeve carried by the offset portion, a support mounted for longitudinal movement in said sleeve, means to secure the support to the sleeve,

a shade connected to the support so that downward movement of the support opens the shade and upward movement of the support closes the shade, a handle removably connected to the support for moving said support, said handle being adapted to be disposed at right angles to the support when the shade is in its lowermost position, means carried by said offset portion for maintaining the handle in said last named position, and locking means associated with said sleeve whereby the support may be secured in the desired position relative to the sleeve.

ADRIAN L. FAASSE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 200,945 Smith Mar. 5, 1878 429,466 McConnico June 3, 1890 429,783 Sprague June 10, 1890 620,815 Warren Mar. 7, 1899 845,742 Berger Mar. 5, 1907- 71,006,454 Bair Oct. 24, 1911 1,105,709 Skalstad Aug. 4, 1914 

